Eeeeeeeh, so, basically, I don’t know what’s happening.

I became the fiancé of Prince Horus in what feels like overnight. Not just that, I was forced to move into the palace.

Ever since that, I have been busy with bridal lessons, another stupid thing nobles do. Or rather, a stupid thing ROYALS do. Since the royal family has to set an example to everyone, they are trained harshly ever since they can poop on their own, and as a person marrying into such a family, I’m expected to learn everything it normally takes a lifetime to learn… In a year…

HOW THE FREAK IS THAT FAIR????

Not only that! They are even more strict than Duchess Burtwell. I didn’t think that was possible. HOW DID I PUT MYSELF IN THIS SITUATION? WHY DID I THINK THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA?

In the middle of all of this, I feel like there is something I have been sliding pretty easily past when thinking in terms of the novel…

How did it go again? Prince Horus is thrown in prison, where he dies. Prince Chaker takes the throne. The empire gets invaded. Huh? It’s before that… What could it be…

OH! RIGHT! I’M JUST STUPID! For ANYONE to take the throne, the emperor needs to die first!

How did I just overlook such an important detail? I mean, the novel didn’t mention much about it, so it was easy to forget, but going by simple logic, I should have thought about it before…

But when does he die? And why?

If it’s sickness, it can’t be helped. I’m not a doctor, and have no form of medical knowledge. I did read books on medicine but would never be able to apply that to practice, nor would I be able to handle the responsibility that would come with it, so that’s out.

Is it an assassination? Hmmm, I know the emperor is alive when Prince Horus is thrown to prison, so it doesn’t make much sense if Prince Chaker kills his own father just to get to the throne earlier. Since it’s already secured to be his later. Then again, this IS Prince Chaker we are talking about. Known as the tyrant. Not that I have ever met him in person yet, myself.

What else? Of course he could just die of other natural causes, in which case I wouldn’t be able to do anything as well.

It could also just be an accident somehow.

No use in thinking about it too much, for now I have to prevent my dear fiancé to be pulled out of the closet.

“My Lady, listen to me. Did you get any of that? Knowing the correct manners and the hierarchal order is vital when going out. If you talk down to someone higher than you, you will bring dishonor to not only your own family, but the entire royal family as well. A crime that is almost a death sentence. Likewise, if you talk too politely to someone lower than you, you will seem like an ignorant pushover, again brining shame.”

My royal tutor, Lady Lisa Sandoval, interrupts my thoughts. She likes to threaten with the death sentence every chance she gets. Kinda dramatic if you ask me. In the start when I came here, I was terrified of getting my head chopped off, but apparently it doesn’t happen that often. People are mostly thrown in prison or stripped of their titles and exiled from the inner city.

If I were empress I would completely get rid of the death penalty.

Huh? IF? Wait? Isn’t there actually a very real chance of me becoming empress?

I CAN’T HANDLE RESPONSIBILITY.

“My Lady…” She says with a sigh. Oops.

“Pardon my rudeness, Lady Sandoval, I just found myself caught up in the previous subject that I completely forgot time and place. I will be careful so it does not happen again” I lie.

“My Lady… You got caught up in the subject of how to mow out the stalls? Is My Lady particularly fond of horses?”

“Huh? Horses?” I MESSED UUUUUUP.

“Aaaah, yes! Horses! Ever since I was a little girl, I have always wanted to try my hand at horseback riding, but my father disliked it. He said it was not very ladylike, and as such I have gone through life without hearing much about them, so everything from mowing out the stalls to getting down from the horse is an interest of mine” I say, lying through my teeth. Why would I even have to learn about mowing stalls? Don’t we have servants for that?

“That is a very cute story, Lady Amy, but the previous subject was about tea-manners. We have servants for mowing out stalls. It is not something you would have to learn about. However, it is nice to see you have the ability to lie as easy as breathing” She says dryly, in a monotone, not pleased at all-voice.

Well okay then. Don’t piss off Lady Sandoval. Got it.

We finish up the lessons, with Lady Sandoval getting my undivided attention, because honestly I am now officially horrified of her. Who jokes around with horse poo in the first place?

After I’m done I go out where Sir Windsor is waiting. He told me from the day I arrived that he would try to see me as often as he could, since I was important to Prince Horus, and so I wouldn’t feel lonely.

I appreciate it a lot, not so much because I otherwise feel lonely, but mostly because I otherwise would get lost all the time. The palace is HUGE.

We walk, side by side, chatting a bit. I tell him about my horse poo incident, where he laughs at me asking if I didn’t know we had servants for that. WHICH I DID, I WAS JUST TOO BUSY LYING TO THINK ABOUT IT PROPERLY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

“You two seem to have fun. What are we talking about?” A voice interrupts our laughter.

Looking to where the unfamiliar voice came from, I see someone in purple. The royal colors. I know one of the princes. This person is too young to be the emperor. Which means, this can only be one person.

The tyrant, Prince Chaker.